1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a method and apparatus for data input into a service device of a type which are convertible to enter different service data in a service device, particularly a new postage fee schedule table in a postage computer. The method and apparatus are suitable for postage meter machines as well as for scales containing postage computers, or similar devices containing postage computers.
2. Description of the Prior Art
German PS 38 23 719 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,138,735 disclose reloading a fee schedule table for postage fees initiated by a remote data center at specific points in time. When the data exchange is initiated by the server of the data center, the postage meter machine must remain constantly connected which is disadvantageous.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,490,077 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,606,508 disclose proposed initiating the data loading from the postage meter machine on demand, whereby the data base is updated after the activation of the postage meter machine dependent on conditions (such as, for example, name, date). In order to equip the majority of postal customers with a fee schedule table in advance of its effective date, this fee schedule is stored in a memory of a transmission means (chip card or cell of a GSM network) separate from the postage meter machine long before it takes effect. When the postage meter machine is turned on, the date of the calendar module of the postage meter machine is employed, or is operated on with further conditions that are entered, in order to select the table, and the table is thereupon loaded into the memory of the postage meter machine when the machine is placed into operation. An updating of the previous table ensues when loading from a memory of the transmission medium into the memory of the postage meter machine.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,710,706 corresponding to European Application 724 141 discloses a scale that is connected by an interface to a postage meter machine in order to update fee schedule table data. The loading of the update data ensues from a remote data center by modem to the postage meter machine. The loading and updating ensue in immediate succession. When a message is present that fee schedule table data are to be updated, a loading ensues. The update data or new fee schedule can be intermediately stored in the postage meter machine and a sector-by-sector deletion of the old postage fee schedule table in the non-volatile memory of the scale can take place before the transfer of the new fee schedule table data from the intermediate memory of the postage meter machine to the scale, and the write-in of the new fee schedule table data in the non-volatile memory of the scale. A number of tables can be stored in the scale, however, each table refers to a separate mail carrier that can be selected via keyboard. The minimum validity date of a fee schedule table allocated to a carrier identification number CIN is stored and is interpreted by the postage meter machine in order, as needed, to form request data, to load new fee schedule table data, or to update the data in the memory of the scale according to the CIN. If, however, the minimum validity date is also the conversion date from an old to a new fee schedule table, then a backlog of communications ensues at the data center when multiple postage meter machines wish to communicate with this data center on the same day.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,448,641 discloses a postal fee system wherein a validity check is made in the terminal equipment at the user side. The postage fee schedule table is transmitted from the data center to the terminal equipment. A code belonging to the postage fee schedule table is also transmitted from the data center to the terminal equipment. The terminal equipment generates a comparison code from a message based on the received postage fee schedule table. On the basis of the comparison of the received code to the generated comparison code, the validity of the received postage fee schedule table can be checked in the terminal equipment. The terminal equipment thus can verify the communicated postage fee schedule table. For reducing the communication backlog with the data center when multiple postage meter machines wish to communicate with this data center on the same day, a very high number of modems would have to be utilized, thereby increasing the outlay at the data center. Communication problems also occur due to the backlog, which lead to a lengthening of the conversion process to the new postage fee schedule table for a number of devices. During this time, the users cannot operate the affected devices for mail processing.
European Application 780 803 discloses a method and arrangement for data input into a postage meter machine. A data center communicates a message on behalf of a mail carrier (carrier info) that includes an “I have something for you” message. When, due to a communicated carrier info, the user then actuates an input key, a loading event sequences fully automatically. In this procedure, however, it is difficult to predict at the postage meter machine side whether the communicated data may contain so many bits that problems involving memory space result.
A data set is periodically interrogated by the central station in the system disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,161,109 corresponding to European Application 373 971 and a report to communicated from the postage meter machine to the central station. A standard data bank serves the purpose of storing data. These data also include fee schedule data. The communicated report is reworked in the data center and an updated data set is sent back to the postage meter machine (downloading). This is not possible, however, without further difficulty in conjunction with on-demand loading of postage fee schedules. If a number of load requests are simultaneously received at the data center, a jam or a long communication duration can result because the complete table may have a large bit content under certain circumstances, thereby occupying data processing capacity and memory space at both communication partners.